The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-10

AT the same time attempts have been made to
Justify the crime on the ground that the Repub-
Hcans committed like Frauds like outrages at
previous elections, ard the Democrats were only
paying them in their own coin This himsy
plea is, In itself, subversion of the right Of
free suffrage. 1t is blow aimed at the princ:-
pies of good government and underlies the very
evils we seek to redress.
y have no doubt the Republicans have COM
mitted many gross frauds on the ballot box in
this CITY, but / also maintain that no such
Hagrant and outrageous frauds have ever been
perpetrated as those of 1856 1t is an admitted
fact may say confessed fact-known to men
OF all parties, that gross frauds, and forgeries
and felonious alterations were made in
the taes and tally sheets of the late
election. Four months have now passed since
the indictment was filed against the guilty par
ties concerned, and the several counts present
no diminuton of criminal significance. Take
the particulars, for instance, in regard to the
election of criminal judge. A re reading thereof
may be both timely and profitable, in view of
the enormity of the fraud reaching to the very
seat of justice. These men, now awaiting the
righteous verdict of the law, well of pub
lie opinion did them quote from the afida-
wits
ngy and fraudulenty change alter and forge the tai
lies and and returns and certificate of the
ward of the city Of indianapolis, by falsely and fraud
ulently erasing from said ly-sheets, twentyone
votes that cast for William Irwin, for judge Of
the Criminal Court and adding the same to the vote
cast for Albert +. Ayres candidate for judge of the
Criminal Court. thereby fraudulently taking away
from the said Irwin said twenty votes and giving
them to the said Ayfes, contrary to the Will and m
| tention of the persons casting said votes
Another count reads as follows:
"And did unlawfuy, feloniously frauduently and
falsely change the tallies and tally. sheets Of the
second precinct the Thirteenth ward of said city Of
indianapolis by fraudulenty erasng and taking away
from said Irwin 16 votes that We're cast for him. and
adding the to the vote cast for said AyreS tor
criminal judge thereby increasing the vote of said
Ayres 10 votes, contrary to the intention of the
| persons casting the same
/ These violations of the law occurred in the
| Fourth ami Thirteenth wards Of the city. The
| following counts appertaining to the Seventeenth
and Eighteenth wards. reveal a concert of action
| in these villainous proceedings that stamps them
deeper-dyed with infamy. towit
"Bv then and there fraudulently and falsely forg-
ing and changing the tally sheets of the first precinct
of the Seventeenth ward and by frauduently
ing votes cast for said irwin, for criminal Judge. and
adding the to the vote of the said Ayres, for
criminal judge contrary to the intention of the per-
sons casting the same.
| "'And by then and there falsely and fraudulently
forging and altering the tales and tally sheets of the
second precinct of the Eighteenth ward city by
fraudulently subtracting and taking from the said
Judge and adding the to the vote cast for the
said Ayres contrary to theintent and meaning of the
| persons casting the same.
"Here by reason of diversion in behalf of
the coroner's election. the Twenty third ward is
complicated with the election of the criminal
| judge in two separate counts, as follows:
And by then and there fraudulently and falsely
forging and changing the tallies and allyshee of
the first precinct of the Twenty third ward of the
said city, by subracting and deducting twentyseven
votes that for DR.. Wagner for coroner and
by frauduenty and falsely transferring the said votes
to DR.. Morrison for the office, thereby falsely
making it appear that the said Morrison had received
twenty. seven votes more than We're cast for him.
" And by falsely and fraudulently forging and
changing the TALES and talyheets Of the votes cast
for said Irwin for criminal judge, by falsely subtract
ing sixteen votes in said ward for sid irwin and
adding the said sixteen votes to the cast for said
Ayres for the office contrary to the intention
Of the persons casting the said votes
s'These we're the crimes that were no sooner
committed than cry aloud went UP for ven
geance.4 No sooner was the vote returned than
there was such uprising of the people as had
not occurred since the hiring on Fort Sumter
Then it was the integrity of the Union that was
assailed. On that day, after the election, it was
the violation of the right OF suffrage, or, as IS
expressed in the Indictment. the vote was
counted contrary to the intentions of the per-
sons casting the said votes In a word, that
was the cause of the forming of this committee
of hundred.
| 81 quote the charges in the affidavit against
the conspirators for double or treble object
want in the first place, to set this crime with all
its enormity before the boys that are now grow
ing up, to show them in what strong language
the law 6enounces such acts 1t Is said they
did 'feloniously FORGE etc. To feoniously do
, | a thing has in all past time been considered
great crime and the person committing the act
considered grea. criminal The criminal law
, stronger terms. If man steals horse and is
indicted for it, the indictment says he did
, feloneously take. steal and carry away one
horse etc. Forging is considered one OF the
worst crimes known to the criminal laws. I
want the rising generation to understand that
election tally sheets cannot be changed and
forged without bringing disgrace upon
, the person who unlawfuly does the
) act / wish to show further that when the
, | Democracy of Marion county was led by Mr.
; Hendricks and Mr.. Mcdonald such crimes vera
never committed by the Democrats of Marion
county. but in less than year after MIR. Hen
=. dricks's death, and when Mr. Mcdonald was just
,, retiring from active political life. leaving the
party management to Others these enormous
) crimes committed. Hendricks and Ne
! Donald were alike pure and upright men IN their
, politics, az well as in the private walks of lifa
These crimes show the absence of the two great
and good leaders.
8 II recapitulate these crimes for the further
: reason that the honest Democrats OF the State OF
know and fully understand the exact nature
of the charges brought by the commits
g tee of one hundred against the accused.
f No man can DE found in Indianapolis
t who has the effrontery to deny that the crimes
were committed just as / have recited from tho
affidavit. but only give part OF the charges !
think give enough. assure the Democracy of
= Indiana that the frauds, forgeries and changes
t in the vote from Irwin to Ayres, and from DR..
q Wagner to DR.. Morrison, were made just as
charged in the affidavit have quoted from.
0 further wish to impress on the minds or the
q honest Democrats of Indiana the further fact.
{ that in the legal proceedings instituted in the
2 Marion Superior Court by Mr.. Irwin against Mr..
) Ayres to recover the Office stolen from him. the
S lawyers for Mr.. Ayres confessed the forgery
9 and fraudulent changes of the vote from Irwin
g to Ayres as shown by the talysheets, and
y totally disregarded and ignored the tallysheets
j. used by the board Of canvassers aud depended
t entirely on the taly-sheets that were sealed up
O in the sacks and that were never before the can
r wasting be 4, together with recount of the
q ballots a. this recount the judgment was
r rendered for Irwin, without exceptions ap
| al Irxuir Ii in he r1ndic "a